Fabric inspection machine



Jan. 24, 1967 D. PERNICK 3 9 FABRIC INSPECTION MACHINE Filed July 2,1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fan. 1

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INVENTOR. 04 W0 PERM/CA United States Patent 3,299,484 FABRIC INSPECTIONMACHINE David Pernick, 1020 Shore Blvd., Brooklyn, N.Y. 11235 Filed July2, 1964, Ser. No. 379,975 4 Claims. (CI. 26-70) The present inventionrelates to winding machines and, more particularly, to an improvedmachine for unwinding and rewinding a rolled-up web or bolt of fabric toinspect and/or measure the fabric.

Machines of the foregoing type have been devised wherein a rod wasinserted into the center of the bolt, the ends of the rods placed onsupporting bearings, and a take-up roll caused the fabric to be unwoundand rewound. In so unwinding the fabric it was subjected to considerabletension which was not tolerable particularly when working withstretchable fabrics. Also extreme difficulty was encountered ininserting the rod into the bolt, whereby valuable time was consumed.

Machines also have been devised wherein the bolt was supported on idlerrolls but here again the fabric was subjected to undesirable hightension.

Machines also were devised wherein the rod inserted into the bolt wasdriven to unwind the fabric. While this minimized tension, thedifiiculty of inserting the rod into the bolt and the problem of timeconsumption still remained.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a machineof the type indicated herein which overcomes the foregoing difficultiesand disadvantages.

Another object is to provide such a machine which allows the fabric tobe unwound and/ or rewound under substantially tensionless conditions.

Another object is to provide such a machine which is equipped with animproved viewing frame.

Another object is to provide such a machine which enables the fabric tobe removed in either direction to enable sections of the fabric to bere-inspected and to unwind the rewound fabric and further rewind thesame.

Another object is to provide such a machine which enables the bolt offabric to be unwound, so that both the front and the back of the fabric,selectively, can be inspected.

Another object is to provide such a machine which measures the length ofthe web of fabric, under substantially tensionless conditions, at thesame time it is being inspected and records the measured length in unitsof chosen for purposes of illustration and description and is shown inthe accompanying drawings, forming a part of the application wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a machine in accordance with thepresent invention. 1

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the machine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 on FIG. 1illustrating a drive arrangement.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along the line 4--4 on ice FIG. 1illustrating an arrangement for handling, inspecting and measuring thefabric.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 on FIG. 3illustrating a detail of the drive arrangement.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6 -6 on FIG. 3illustrating another detail of the drive arrangement.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, a machine is shown whichgenerally comprises a framework 10, a lower let-off or unwindingarrangement 11 for a bolt B of fabric, an upper take-up or fabricrewinding arrangement 12, a fabric inspection frame 14, between theleft-off and takeup arrangements, and a drive 15 (FIG. 3) for thelet-off and take-off arrangements.

The framework 10 includes a base 16, and a pair of upright side frames17 and 18, the frame 18 being hollow to provide a compartment forhousing and concealing the drive 15 (FIG. 1).

The let-off arrangement 11 (FIGS. 1, 4 and 5) includes a pair ofhorizontal, parallel spaced apart rolls 19 and 20 for supporting thebolt of fabric B, drive shafts 21 and 22 respectively for the rolls 19and 20 journalled for rotation between the side frames 17 and 18 abovethe base and having one end extending into the compartment provided bythe side frame 18, and a roller basket provided by a plurality ofrollers 24 at each side of the rolls 19 and 20 for retaining the bolt offabric on at least one of the let-off rolls in driven contact therewith.It is, of course, understood that a single roll 19 may be used forsupporting and driving the bolt of fabric B. A bolt positioning guide isprovided by a pair of fixed rods 25 above the roller basket and a pairof crosswise extending bars 26 with depending arcuate shields 27 mountedon the rods 25, each engaging a side of the bolt and the web of fabricbeing unwound. Preferably, the bars 26 with depending shields 27 can beadjusted lengthwise to accommodate fabric bolts B of various widths.

The take-off arrangement 12 (FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 4) includes a horizontaltake-up and measuring roll 30, a drive shaft 31 for the roll 30journalled for rotation between the side frame 17 and 18 near the upperend and having one end extending into the compartment provided by theside frame 18, and an upright inwardly facing channel member 32 on eachof the side frames 17 and 18 having the ends of a heavy fabric Wind-uprod 34 disposed therein to guide this rod in a vertical direction as therewound fabric builds up in diameter or decreases in diameter. Ifdesired, the drive shaft 31 may extend outwardly of the side frame 18(FIGS. 1 and 2) and a hand wheel 35 may be secured thereto for turningthe take-up roll manually when the leading end of the web of fabric isattached to the wind-up rod 34.

Since the take-up roll 30 drives the web of fabric at a constant linearspeed, as will be explained more fully hereinafter, this roll can beutilized for measuring the length of the web by providing a conventionalcounter 36 geared to indicate units of length, such as yards, timinggears 37 and 38 on the drive shaft 31 and the counter driven shaft,respectively, and a timing belt 39 for the gears 37 and 38.

The fabric inspection frame 14 (FIGS. 1 and 4) includes a front and backrod 41 and 42, respectively, supported at the upper end of the frame 14and a front and back rod 43 and 44, respectively, supported at the lowerend of the frame 14 with the web of fabric passing between the front andback rods, and an opaque board 45 secured to the frame 14 to the rear ofthe back rods. The frame 14 can be mounted between the side frames 17and 18 in any suitable manner, but preferably only.

the upper back rod 42 is pivotally supported between the side frames 17and 18, so that the inspection frame 14 can be tilted upwardly toposition the web section being inspected at an angle with respect tolight directed thereon which gives the inspector maximum viewingfacility.

The drive 15 (FIGS. 3, 5 and 6) generally comprises a reversible motor50 for driving both let-off and take-up roll-s at about equal speeds, aspeed adjusting arrangement whereby these rolls are driven exactly atequal speeds, and an arrangement for reversing the direction in whichthe let-off rolls are driven.

The drive for the let-off and take-up rolls includes a pulley 51 on thetake-up roll shaft 31 driven by a belt 52 from a pulley 54 on the motordrive shaft, and a second pulley 55 on the take-up roll shaft 31 fordriving the let-off rolls through the reversing arrangement, about to bedescribed, by a belt 56.

The reversing arrangement includes a shaft 57 on the frame 18 (FIG. 6) apulley 58 rotatably mounted on the shaft 57 driven by the belt 56, agear 59 rotatably mounted on the shaft 57 and driven by the pulley 58, agear 60 and a pulley 61 secured to the let-off roll drive shaft 21, apulley 62 secured to the let-off driven shaft 22 driven by a belt 64 onthe pulley 61, so that both let-off shafts rotate in the same directionat all times, a gear 65 mounted for rotation on a shaft 66 (FIG. 5)supported by the side frame 18 and in mesh with the gear 60, and a gear67 always in mesh with the gear 59 and being rotatably mounted at thelower end of a pivotally mounted lever 68 for selectively placing thegear 67 in mesh with either the gear 60 or the gear 65 to enable thelet-off rolls to be driven in either direction. The lever 68 is operatedby a rod 69 having its inner end attached to the upper end of the leverand being slidably mounted on the front of the side frame 18 andextending outwardly thereof with a manually engageable knob 70 at itsouter end.

The speed adjusting arrangement includes the pulley 58 which for thispurpose is of the variable diameter type, an idler 71 engaging the belt56 between the pulleys 55 and 58, and mechanism 72 mounted at the frontof the side frame 18 for supporting the idler and for varying thetension applied to the belt 56 by the idler by means of a screw threadedinto a fixed nut (not shown) and driven by a crank or hand wheel 75 atthe front of the machine. Thus by increasing the belt tension, thesheaves 76 of the pulley 58 are spread and the belt 56 engages the sameat a smaller diameter to increase the speed at which the let-off rollsare driven. Likewise by decreasing the belt tension, the sheaves 76 ofthe pulley 58 are urged towards each other by a spring 77 and the belt56 engages the sheaves 76 at a larger diameter to reduce the speed atwhich the let-oif rolls are driven.

In operation, a bolt of fabric B is placed on the let-off rolls 19 andand the guide bars 26 with depending shields 27 are adjusted, and theleading end of the web is threaded through the rods of the inspectionframe and is placed over the take-up roll in a clockwise direction, asviewed in FIG. 4, and is attached to the wind-up rod 34 which is urgedby gravity into driving contact with the take-up roll 30. The take-uproll 30 is turned slowly to determine whether or not adjustments must bemade so that let-off and take-up of the fabric are accomplished atexactly the same speed. If required, such adjustments are made in themanner already described herein, whereby the fabric is let-off and takenup at substantially zero tension, so that stretching thereof is avoided.

With the reversing gear 67 positioned as shown in full lines (FIG. 3),the motor 50 is run to rotate the take-up roll 30 in a clockwisedirection and to rotate the let-off rolls in a counterclockwisedirection, as viewed in FIG. 4 and indicated by the arrows, so that thefabric passes upwardly through the inspection frame 14 for viewing thefront face of the fabric. In the event the inspector is doubtful as towhether or not he has observed a fault in a section of the fabricalready rewound, the motor is stopped and is then reversed to run backthe fabric for reinspection. Unwinding and rewinding is then continueduntil all of the fabric is wound as a bolt upon the rod 34.

'In the event it is desired to also inspect the back face of the fabric,the bolt is removed from the take-up arrangement, the rod 34 is removedfrom the bolt of fabric and is replaced between the channel members 32,the bolt is again placed on the let-off rolls but this time with itsleading edge positioned for unwinding in a counterclockwise direction,as shown in broken lines in FIG. 4, the gear 67 is placed in mesh withthe gear 65, as shown in broken lines in FIG. 3, the web is againthreaded through the frame 14 and attached to the roll 34, and the motor56 is operated as previously described to unwind and rewind the fabricwith the back face thereof bein viewed as it passes through theinspection frame.

As the fabric is let-off and taken up, the length thereof is measured bythe take-up roll which is in frictional engagement with the fabric andthus moves a length of fabric equal to its circumference for eachrevolution thereof. These revolutions are counted by the counter 36which translates the count into units of length. Preferably, a counteris utilized which can be shut off when sections of fabric arereinspected or subtracts when the motor is reversed for reinspection, sothat an accurate measurement is obtained. In practice, it was observedthat the length indicated while inspecting the front face of the fabriccor responded to the nominal length of the fabric on the bolt andcorresponded to the length indicated while inspecting the back face ofthe fabric. This observation establishes the fact that the fabric is notstretched during inspection thereof.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that the presentinvention provides an improved and highly versatile machine which iseasily operated to facilitate inspection of both sides of the fabric.This machine is simple and practical in arrangement but yet issufficiently rugged in construction to withstand such usage to which itnormally is subjected.

As various changes may be made in the form, construe tion, andarrangement of the parts herein, without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention and without sacrificing any of its advantages, itis to be understood that all matters are to be interpreted asillustrative and not in any limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fabric inspection machine, the combination of a pair of let-offrolls for supporting and unwinding a rolledup web of fabric, a take-uproll for rewinding the web into rolled-up condition, means forsupporting the rewound rolled-up web on said take-up roll in drivencontact therewith, fabric inspecting means between said let-ofi. rollsand said take-up roll for positioning the web to visually inspect thesame, and drive means for rotating said letoff rolls and said take-uproll at a speed to cause said let-off rolls to unwind the web at aboutthe same rate as said web is rewound by said take-up roll, said drivemeans including means for driving said take-up roll, a first pulleyrotatable with said take-up roll, a second pulley, a belt driven by saidfirst pulley and driving said second pulley, means for rotatablyinterconnecting said pair of let-off rolls for rotation at the samespeed and in the same direction, and gear means interposed between saidlast mentioned means and said second pulley for selectively rotatingsaid let-off rolls in opposite directions.

2. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said gear means include afirst gear rotatable with said second pulley, a second gear rotatablewith one of said pair of let-off rolls, a third gear in mesh with saidsecond gear, a fourth gear in mesh with said first gear, and means forselectively placing said fourth gear in mesh with said second and thirdgears, whereby said let-off rolls can be rotated in opposite directionsfor permitting both sides of said fabric to be inspected.

3. A machine according to claim 2, wherein said last mentioned meansinclude a pivotally mounted lever ro tatably supporting said fourth gearat one end thereof,

and manually operable means at the other end of said lever for shiftingsaid lever.

4. A machine according to claim 1, wherein said second pulley is avariable diameter pulley, and means are provided for tensioning saidbelt to vary the effective diameter of said second pulley, whereby thespeed of rotation of said let-ofl rolls can. be adjusted to accuratelyaccommodate the demand of said take up roll.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 858,847 7/1907Allen.

Hofer 242- 78.7 Remington 26-70 Tobler 2670 Clark et a1. 24267.4 =Ellis.Lorig 24278.7 X Mageoch 242-67.4 Hasselquist 24267.3 Stephens et a1.2670 Pernick.

ROBERT R. MACKEY, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A FABRIC INSPECTION MACHINE, THE COMBINATION OF A PAIR OF LET-OFFROLLS FOR SUPPORTING AND UNWINDING A ROLLEDUP WEB OF FABRIC, A TAKE-UPROLL FOR REWINDING THE WEB INTO ROLLED-UP CONDITION, MEANS FORSUPPORTING THE REWOUND ROLLED-UP WEB ON SAID TAKE-UP ROLL IN DRIVENCONTACT THERE WITH, FABRIC INSPECTING MEANS BETWEEN SAID LET-OFF ROLLSAND SAID TAKE-UP ROLL FOR POSITIONING THE WEB TO VISUALLY INSPECT THESAME, AND DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID LETOFF ROLLS AND SAID TAKE-UPROLL AT A SPEED TO CAUSE SAID LET-OFF ROLLS TO UNWIND THE WEB AT ABOUTTHE SAME RATE AS SAID WEB IS REWOUND BY SAID TAKE-UP ROLL, SAID DRIVEMEANS INCLUDING MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID TAKE-UP ROLL,